Felix Baumgartner, who scored a place in the history books for his 24-mile freefall (prominently sponsored by Red Bull), was chronicled all the way by more than 20 cameras for the National Geographic Channel and the BBC.

The footage will be combined with behind-the-scenes detail “following Baumgartner’s four-year metamorphosis from an elite BASE jumper to an extreme altitude specialist who can think and act like an astronaut,” according to a NatGeo release.

After postponements due to wind and weather, his jump on Sunday broke the sound barrier; now he’s poised to break the media saturation and product placement barriers, too.

Cinematographers on the National Geographic Channel’s centerpiece series, “Great Migrations,” coming in November, talked about the dangers–and the waiting–in the field.

Seven hours filled with gorgeous HD footage will include a behind-the-scenes hour. The theme is “great epic journeys.” Almost three years in the making, it’s said to be the most ambitious work the network has undertaken.

The physical strain is obvious, creeping around downwind in the wild for prolonged periods. But a discussion of the ethics of wildlife photography, including the imperative not to interfere, revealed how emotionally taxing the situation can be.

Senior producer David Hamlin said one mission of the series is to point up the changes in the planet and their effect on the natural world.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.